The Cost of Commitment - KJ2 (38 page)

“Consider it done.”

Lynn Ames

“Thanks. I’ll see you back in Albany.”

“Peter? Good job.”

“Score one for the good guys.”

“Ladies and gentlemen of the press, I am very happy to report the success of a rescue mission undertaken a short time ago here at the Attica Correctional Facility. More than that, I am overjoyed to tell you that Katherine Kyle, one of the bravest individuals I have ever had the pleasure to meet, is alive, safe, and undergoing treatment at an undisclosed location.”

“What are her injuries?”

“I am not a doctor, and I don’t want to speculate. For now I think it is important to focus on the courage that she showed and on the heroic deeds of the professionals who put their lives on the line to save her.”

“Can you tell us any of the details?”

“I authorized and personally approved a hostage rescue mission designed to free Ms. Kyle and regain possession of the single tier in D

block that remained outside our control. That mission involved five corrections emergency response teams from five different regions: Albany, Auburn, Collins, Elmira, and Oneida. Each member of each group showed poise, professionalism, and bravery, and all made me proud today.”

“Can you describe what they found in there and how they were able to accomplish the goals you had set for them?”

“I don’t want to give too much away because of security concerns, as I’m sure you can all understand. I will say that the mission was accomplished using minimal force and resulted in no life-threatening injuries. The tier is back under control, the uprising is now officially over, and the perpetrators are in custody.”

As more questions were shouted at him, the governor turned away from the microphones and waved before he retreated back across the street and into the administration building, where Peter was waiting for him with the tapes of the conversations between Breathwaite and Redfield.

By the time he had finished listening to them, the governor was standing over the tape recorder, fists clenched in anger and disbelief.

“Why? What’s this all about, really? You can’t convince me that it’s all about getting a job. I won’t believe it.”

Peter answered, “We have no evidence linking them to any motive more sinister than that, sir, although, like you, we are rather incredulous.”

“How can you order someone’s murder just like that? I don’t understand.”

The Cost of Commitment

“Sir, I have to say, I’m glad you don’t.”

“Where are they now?”

“Breathwaite and Redfield have been moved to separate processing cells in an isolated area of the prison’s intake area for the moment, and the correction officer Breathwaite mentioned on the tape as his contact has been located and taken into custody. The eight inmates we were able to identify from the Times Square videotape have been subdued and arrested and are being transported to separate prisons around the state for interrogation.”

“Good. I wonder how long it will be before the media gets a hold of the scope of this mess.”

“I would say that, for the moment, we’ve got a little breathing room.

They’ve got so much to chew on that it may take them a while to figure it out.”

“Kate could give us a better, more definitive answer than that if she were here, couldn’t she?”

“Yes, sir, she certainly could.”

“I don’t care what it takes, Peter, let’s nail the bastards.”

“With pleasure, sir.”

Lynn Ames

The Cost of Commitment

ay hustled past the guard at the back entrance, following a Jplainclothes state trooper down the hallway and into the area

marked Authorized Personnel Only. They continued down another stretch of corridor, around a corner, and through another set of double doors into the emergency room. The officer led her directly to the farthest cubical from the entrance, where the curtain was drawn and two more plainclothes state troopers stood watch. Jay nodded at them as she parted the curtain and stepped inside.

There on the gurney, covered by a white sheet up to her chin, lay Kate—pale and fragile looking. Jay stood for a moment, frozen in place by the image of her normally vibrant, healthy partner lying beaten and helpless. A doctor who had been standing off to the side unnoticed by Jay said, “It’s all right. You can come closer.”

Galvanized to action, Jay walked the last few steps to the bed.

Leaning over, she kissed Kate reverently on the forehead, one of the few places on her face that wasn’t swollen or covered with bruises. She reached under the covers and grasped Kate’s free hand, which seemed cold and lifeless. It sent chills up her spin. “Is she...”

“She’s going to be just fine,” the doctor said as he approached Jay, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Then why isn’t she conscious?” Jay was unable to tear her eyes away from her lover’s face.

“We are still evaluating her situation, but all of her vital signs are satisfactory, given what she’s been through. We do know that she was drugged before she was rescued.”

Jay looked up sharply at the doctor, an involuntary gasp escaping her lips. She felt the room close in on her and had difficulty formulating her
Lynn Ames

next words. “Did you...” Jay cleared her throat. “Was she sexually assaulted?” She choked on the phrase.

“We collected a rape kit, just to be sure. But no, she was not sexually assaulted.”

Unbidden, tears of relief escaped Jay’s eyes. “Oh, thank God.”

“It appears from our tests that the drug she was given entered her bloodstream not more than five minutes before she was rescued. Its purpose was to render her unconscious. Unfortunately, we must wait for the drug to run its course naturally and that may take a little while.”

“How long?” Jay asked.

“I can’t really be sure. But I would say she should be coming around soon.”

“What about her other injuries?”

“She suffered several forceful blows to the head, leaving her with a severe concussion. She has a fractured cheekbone, a laceration to the back of her head, three fractured ribs, a displaced fracture of the navicular bone in her wrist, a deep contusion to her abdomen, another to her shoulder, and a variety of other cuts and scratches.”

Tears ran freely down Jay’s face as the doctor finished reciting the litany of injuries. “Oh, Kate,” she breathed, stroking her lover’s hand.

At Jay’s touch, Kate’s eyelids fluttered open.

“Jay,” Kate called weakly. “Is that you, baby? Is it really you?”

Jay leaned over so that she was more in line with Kate’s field of vision. “Yes, sweetheart, it’s really me.” Jay choked on the well of emotion that bubbled to the surface.

“I’m glad,” Kate breathed, as she closed her eyes again.

“I love you so very much, Katherine Kyle,” Jay said, even though she knew Kate could no longer hear her.

When Kate next awoke the room was dark. Jay was sitting by her side, slumped forward, her head resting on the bed. It was clear that she was asleep. With effort Kate lifted her good arm and ran her fingers through Jay’s hair, reveling in its softness.

The movement caused Jay to stir. Slowly getting her bearings, she raised her head and gazed into her lover’s adoring eyes.

“Hi there, beautiful girl,” Kate murmured.

“Hey there yourself. How are you feeling?”

Kate put her fingers on Jay’s lips. “Before we get into that, I want to tell you how very much I love you. You were the only thing that kept me going in there, Jamison Parker. When things got really rough, I closed my eyes, saw your face, and knew that I could survive anything for the chance to see you again.”

The Cost of Commitment

Jay stood up from the chair and slid onto the bed, gently taking Kate in her arms and kissing the corner of her mouth. “Is this okay, love? Am I hurting you?”

“It’s perfect. Thank you.”

Jay adjusted her position so that she could see Kate’s face more clearly. “I love you Katherine Kyle, more than anything in this world or the next. You are my life and my love. Nothing, and no one, will ever change that.” She snuggled close to Kate, placing an arm gently across her midsection. Emotionally and physically exhausted, both women promptly fell asleep.

Peter stood in the doorway looking at the tableau in front of him, a smile splitting his face from ear to ear. There on the bed were Kate and Jay, arms wrapped around each other, raven hair and blonde mixing on the pillow. He thought he’d never seen anything that looked so right. Just as he was about to turn around and leave, Kate opened her eyes.

Quietly she whispered, “Hey there, Technowiz. I hear you got to play cowboy.”

“Yeah, well, I was getting bored sitting at home—thought I needed a little excitement in my life. God knows I can always count on you for that. A little overdramatic, though, don’t you think?”

“I’ll keep that in mind for next time.”

“Next time?”

Kate smiled. “Well, you never know.” She beckoned Peter closer to the bed. Her eyes grew serious as she said, “I don’t know how to thank you, friend. I know I wouldn’t be here without you. And from the accounts that I’ve heard, you took fantastic care of Jay, too. There are no words to tell you what that means to me.”

Peter shrugged. “She’s family. Speaking of which, Barbara’s on her way here to accompany you on the flight to Albany Med. She wouldn’t believe me that they actually have doctors in Buffalo who know what they’re doing.”

Kate chuckled. “That figures.”

Peter touched her hand. “Want to tell me what happened in there?”

Kate glanced down at Jay.

“If you want to wait until later, I’ll understand.”

At that moment Jay stirred, raising her head at the sound of voices.

She looked momentarily dazed as she tried to place her surroundings.

Spying Peter standing near the bed, she said groggily, “Hey, when did you get here? I didn’t hear you come in.”

Kate squeezed her affectionately. “Sweetheart, when you’re asleep, an atom bomb could go off and you wouldn’t hear it.”

Lynn Ames

“Hey! I resemble that remark.”

“Yes, you sure do. But I love you anyway.” Kate gave her hair a tweak.

Jay rose up, separating herself from Kate so that she could stretch without causing her pain. She looked from Peter to her lover and back again. “I interrupted something, didn’t I?”

Kate said, “Peter was just about to debrief me. You’re welcome to stay if you want.”

“I don’t think I’m really ready for that,” Jay said. “How about if I go and grab a quick shower while you two talk?”

Peter looked at her sympathetically. “I’m sorry Jay, but it’s best to get her recollections while they’re fresh. Time tends to skew the memory.”

“I understand,” Jay said as she rose, kissed Kate on the forehead, and made her way into the adjoining bathroom.

When they could hear the water running, Kate said, “Where do you want me to start?”

“Actually, I’d like you to start at the end and tell me what happened from the time you appeared on television to the time we found you.”

“Okay.” Kate screwed up her eyes in concentration. Her head continued to throb painfully and the effort of recollection was difficult, but the snapshots of images were as clear in her mind as if they were happening in the present. “When we got back to the tier the inmates had pretty much decided it was time to finish the job, although several of them were arguing against killing me. I heard the leader of the group telling others to prepare the TV room.” She looked up at him. “I guess that’s where they decided I should be executed.” She tried to shrug nonchalantly, but the shudder that went through her body was plain to see. “I stood up, trying to think of something, anything, I could do to stop them. I figured with Breathwaite and Redfield calling the shots, I wasn’t likely to get much outside assistance.”

“You were right about that,” Peter mumbled.

Kate continued, “Anyway, I had just started looking around when the cell door slid open and the leader and two of his henchmen came in. One of them had a syringe. As the first inmate came close I kicked out; I think I nailed him in the kneecap. As he was busy screaming, the second goon used my cheekbone for a punching bag. I remember stumbling backward into the sink and all three of them closing in on me. They yanked up my sleeve and jabbed me with the needle. The last thing I remember is them leaving and the cell door closing again. The next thing I knew, I was here and Jay was standing over me. Which, I might add, is the nicest possible way I could have awakened.”

Peter said, “Sounds like our timing was excellent. I don’t imagine five minutes passed from the time they gave you that shot to the time my
The Cost of Commitment

guys arrived on that tier.” He shook his head. “Sometimes it’s good to be lucky.”

“And sometimes it’s lucky to be good.”

“Yes, it is.”

Both of them fell silent as they considered the implications of what could have happened if events hadn’t unfolded precisely as they did.

When Jay reentered the room, the silence was hanging heavy in the air. “Was I too quick?”

“No, sweetheart.” Kate’s eyes lit up when she saw her lover. “I missed you.” She motioned for Jay to join her once again on the bed. She was finding it difficult to let Jay out of her sight, and she imagined her lover felt the same way about her. She looked up at Peter. “So, where are Redfield and Breathwaite?”

“I managed to get the okay for a wiretap and I got them on tape implicating themselves in your kidnapping, not to mention in the plot to kill you.”

Kate gripped Jay tighter as she felt her shudder. In her ear, she whispered, “It’s okay, love. It’s all over now.”

Jay put her head down gently on Kate’s shoulder.

To Peter, Kate said, “That’s pretty impressive, getting the goods in their own voices.”

Peter buffed his nails on his shirt. “Yeah, well, all in a day’s work.”

Jay chimed in, “You’re so modest, too.”

“Yeah, I’ll have to work on that.”

Kate snorted.

“With solid proof like that, it was easy to get an arrest warrant for the two of them. The governor relieved them of duty, and they were taken into custody along with an officer they had working on the inside and the eight inmates who were involved in the plot.”